Toy building elements.



G. LAVANCHY. TOY BUILDING ELEMENTS. APPLICATION HLED JAN. 24, 1918.

1 ,27 1,1 80. Patented July 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G.LAVANCHY. TOY BUILDING ELEMENTS. APPLICATION man 1mm. 191s.

Patented July 2, 1918.

2 HEETSSHEET 2.

I s Q u new and useful Improvements I in) eusmvn ringworm; or mmmsas smam Tb all if mag/concern. 7

Be it, known that, I, GUSTAVE L VAjN'o-HY,

a citizen of the Swiss Republic, residing at Neucliatel, Switzerland, have. made cer iiain g Q 3 Building, EIements, ofw'hich the follow ng is a specification. 1 V

"My 'invention relates, to improvements 1n.

toy "building elements andljjparticularl y to elements capable of being combined or om ,7 nect'ed'. to form, curved;{meinbers 'or units ,5

which may be employed:infcolifitructing' toy I bridges and the like. p

Iii-toybuildiiigsets now used, all of the elements have previously pI'6palI6d 0If fiX6d l. shapes, so that the elements, when, connected A n "mbeivof conwill form only a limit a V structions or designsfmidth'principal obe t.- Or ha n s Qfsm nventions W11 vide a set of toy building elements, 1

cludes flexible elements, the shape of which may be changed, whereby constructions of various shapes and designs may be formed.

A further object ofmy invention is to provide elements of fixed shape having a series of notches on opposite sides or edges, in whichthe flexibleor shape changing elements are held. By providing each of the elements, of fixed shape, with several notches in which a plurality of the flexible members are held, the flexible members will be securely held in their fixed shape and will not slip on the rigid members and assume their original shape.

With the foregoing object outlined and with other objects in view, which will ap pear as the nature of the invention is better understood, my invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' Beferringto the drawing:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the flexible elements, means being shown for temporarily holding the same in curved position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing one of the flexible elements connected to several of the notched rigid members.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of four of the flexible pieces held in curved position by a series of the fixed members.

Fig. 4 is a view of a complete curved member or unit formed from siX flexible ele- .appiicationfiled'January 24,1915. seria 213,610.,

'Tnentin curved positr ment '"arenriveaina a board" ('11 each side ;of; a, curved. line. that has previbeen drawn 'on'the board: 7 A flexible element 6, formed of any suitable material,

'- @512 summits.-nnnivinnrs if Specrficati onof Iaett'ersi? ate1rt i 11 317911 .1918;

'jen and ser of the" igid 'j i 'hed fimb fln-t I 5 is a view" of one of the flexible eleents bent into S-sh pe and:v ingtlie "'rily holdlng the elem ans used for temp 6 is; a similar vi lshowing notclied ng jdm mbers connectedltotlie flex; U ele- Tis top fplaniview of as ,S-shaped ()ll of trackfofmiediortw" flexiblememai'id severalnotched pieces. s 8' lie a p rspective 1 view {of toy d-nemmy improv ato buildis shown held in curved position, over. the drawn line, by means of the nails a. 0 designates the rigid notched members, which, in this instance, are provided with three parallel notches at out into their front and back edges. In Fig. 2, several of these rigid members 0 are shown having the upper notches on their back edges embracing the flexible member 6, the stakesa in this figure being omitted for the purpose ofjclearness.

In Fig. 3, I have shown three of the flexible elements 6, f and 9 arranged in the notches (Z on the front edges of the rigid members 0, and when the elements b, e, f and g are in the notches cl, as shown in this figure, there will be a suflicient number of points of contact between the flexible elements and the rigid members to prevent slipping of the parts on one another, and when the structure, shown in Fig. 3, is re,- moved from the nails a, said structure will retain its curved shape without further con;

nection. 7

After the structure, shown in Fig, 3 is removed from the nails, it may be reversed or turned over, and flexible elements it and z are then placed in the remaining notches, to form a curved unit, such as shown in Fig. 4.

To make up an S-curved section of track, such as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I first draw a curved line and then place nails (1 along both sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 5.- I then place a flexible element or rod 6 betweeiithe nails and over the drawnline and force said element down to within arshortdistance of the board upon which the line;

is drawn. Then ties or rigid elements 6 having two notches in one edge, are placed beneath the member 6', and the member I) is forced down .into the notches nearone end of the rigid ties 6 Another flexible rail or element 6 is then inserted in the remaining notches and when the track section,

such as shown in Fig. 7 is removed from the nails a, it will retain the shape shown in'said figure. I a

The bridgeshown in Fig. 8 is an illustration of a construction that may be built with my improved elements. The arches or girders of the bridge are formed of units made in accordance with thatillustratedgin Fig. 4. The struts and posts of the bridge 4 are formed of the flexible rods or elements and are connected together and to the arches by means of rigid blocks is having a single notchonly ofsufiicient width to accommodate two thicknesses of the flexible elements.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that various chang'esmay be made in the elements ow'ithout 'departing from the'spirit 'ofthe 1:

Copies ofth ia patent may be obtained for inventionor sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A2? toy building construction comprising a plurality of rigid members each provided witha plurality of notches, and a plurality of flexible elements resting in said notches andbeing retained in various curved shapes by the engagement of the flexible elements With the walls of said notches.

2. A toy building construction comprising a plurality of rigid members each provided on its opposite edges with a plurality of-parallel notches and a plurality of flexible elements resting in said notches and being retained in various shapes by the env gagement of the flexible elements with the walls of said notches.

.:In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 'two'subscribing witnesses.

. GUSTAVE LAVANCHY.

V Witnesses: a V

CH, C. KLINQK,"

five centseaeh, tyraddressingrthe Commissioner oi- Patents,

Washington, 15.103? 

